Innovations in Vendor Management Systems: Part 2

As promised, here is part two of the Innovations in Vendor Management Systems (VMS) Technology Report. As noted in our previous blog post (Part 1), Sourcing Industry Group’s (SIG) analysts evaluated PRO Unlimited’s VMS, Wand in their industry landscape report. In this week’s post, we will look at how PRO stacked up in the areas of Consumerization, Configuration, Decision Guides for Worker Classifications, and International Support.

Here is SIG’s assessment of PRO’s VMS, Wand. Check back for the third post next week!

Vendor Management System Advancements

Consumerization of User Experience

A systems adoption is the single most important indicator of its success. If people use it, depend on in and don’t try to work around it, the system will be considered a success. If you look at VMS today, it’s the user experience that drives adoption. There are some creative innovations in this area and most originate from other popular consumer software.

PRO focused on the top 3 actions; creating requests, reviewing candidates, and approving time & expenses

PRO considers their UI as an “Amazon-like” experience, requiring fewer clicks and offering quick ways to jump to other transactions

Flexible Configuration of all Fields

Earlier versions of the VMS had some difficult limitations in configuration. It seemed like every customer had a different requirement for nomenclature, branding, definitions and business rules. Almost every implementation required lengthy customizations and even then, each department or manager felt their specific needs were not being met. Today’s VMS has made it easy to configure virtually every field of data.

When PRO makes enhancements, they evaluate how the functionality can be leveraged as a standard configuration for all clients to use. One customer asked them to design an applicant portal for sourcing their own temps. Once it was completed they offered it to all customers and it’s used by the general public.

Decision Guides for Accurate Worker Classifications

This innovation is not any less important especially as it relates to the huge exposure to legal risk that a misclassified worker can present. When a manager is preparing to hire a worker it isn’t always obvious what type of worker they may need; FTE, Temp, Independent Contractor, Consultant on a SOW or a freelancer.

The PRO platform has embedded business intelligence, so when a user clicks on the “Help me Decide” button depending on the answers to key questions the tool will recommend the best engagement model.

International

PRO Unlimited receives requests for foreign language translations to support clients’ specific business needs. These requests are handled through a monthly release process for quick and efficient delivery of applicable Wand user interface, report header, and email notifications. All translations are coordinated with a third-party vendor that is responsible for completing translation requests and validating all are done in proper, accurate context. PRO’s Product Development QA resources then validate that all translations appear properly within Wand and conform to prescribed aesthetics.

For currency requirements, a conversion multiplier is used with bill rates and displayed throughout the sourcing process, approval routing and reports. The multiplier is updated frequently and can be configured per client-specific requirements.

All withholdings occur within a client’s ERP/HRIS, not in the Wand Web application. Wand accommodates varying rate applications, work periods, and premium rate configuration as needed per country. Wand also allows for configurable timecards for proration based on expected workdays or hours, professional workweek with non-billable time, holidays worked, and weekend premium pay. Wand can track hours though pay/bill based on days. These settings determine how data is entered and calculated and ultimately how it is displayed in standard and custom reports.

If you or a member of your team would benefit from further discussion or a demo of PRO’s VMS Wand, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com.

Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.